Help with our battles against Temptation
(Luke 22:31-34 & 54-60)
31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. 57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
Introduction
Did you ever wonder why the Holy Spirit led the Gospel writers to include this tragic chapter in the life of Peter in their Gospels? Had I been writing, I would have left this out. The Bible is a book that lets it all hang out, so to speak. From King David to the Apostle Paul, the Bible airs the dirty laundry of even its greatest heroes. This is done to help us learn not to make the same mistakes they made. For example, there are several things in this text that we would do well to remember.
1. Remember, Satan wants to sift you. (Luke 22:31)
Most of us are too old and worn out for Uncle Sam to want us, but satan wants us. Jesus told Peter, “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” I don’t know anything about sifting wheat. I remember Daddy used to pick his dried peas, put them in a tow sack, and beat them with a stick till they were all out of the hull. He would even let me have a turn beating them. Then he would put them in a no.2 washtub and shake them. All the hulls would come to the top, and peas would settle at the bottom. Then he would scoop off the hulls and have peas seed for another year. The devil wants to take and shake us until all the bad in us comes to the top. If Satan can destroy our testimony, we become ineffective witnesses for Christ. This will enable him to drag more souls along with him down into the bottomless pit into which he is about to be cast.
The closer you get to Jesus, the more Satan desires to have you. Remember, Peter was not only a disciple; he was in that inner circle that was even closer to Jesus. The devil doesn’t bother the unsaved much because he already has them. He doesn’t even spend his time with lukewarm Christians. It’s those who are trying to walk with Jesus that he goes after.
I remember wading in the Louisiana creeks when I was a boy. That was before the walkers etc. When you waded downstream, you hardly noticed the current. When you turned and began walking upstream, the current started to push against you, sometimes making it hard to walk. When you turn around and start walking with Jesus, satan releases his big guns on you. If you have had a good week walking wtth Jesus, watch out; Satan will tempt you big time next week.
2. Remember that while the Spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. (Matt. 26: 41b)
When Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death,” there’s no doubt in my mind that he meant every word he spoke. However, he forgot that “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. I don’t know about you, but I’m in a battle with the flesh. The Bible says our old man is crucified with Him. (Rom. 6:6) The new man that I have become in Christ still lives in an old fleshly body. This old man is the livest dead man I have ever dealt with.
Paul had the same problem. He said, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, I kept on doing.” (Rom. 7:19-25) To have spiritual victory, we must nail the old fleshly man back on the cross daily, every morning and every night.
3. Remember, stay close to Jesus; don’t try to follow at a distance. (Luke 22:54b)
Peter went to sleep in a prayer meeting that night. (Luke 22:45) He didn’t pray like Jesus asked him. I’ll bet he didn’t read the scripture much, either. When things begin to get rough, Peter slips into the shadows. He was still following Jesus, but now it was at a distance, fear of being associated with Jesus. Like Peter, many people try to be Christian without letting everybody know it. They’re not totally committed, and they’re careful not to let anyone know their little commitment. Let me ask you a question. Does everyone know that you are a Christian? Do they know what you stand for and which side you’re on?
“Fear of being associated with Jesus. Like Peter, some of us permit distance in our relationship because we prefer people's approval more than God's approval. We routinely follow Jesus at a distance and utilize him only when needed. Like a teenager embarrassed to shop with her parents, we maintain a safe distance behind Jesus and run to catch up only when we need something.” (Jeffrey E. Miller)
I don’t know much about shepherding; I know which sheep the wolf gets. (the devil) He gets those who are straying from the Shepard—those who are following behind. If we are going to survive the devil's attacks, we must stay close to Jesus.
4. Remember not to get too close to the fire.
Bad company is too often an occasion of sin, and those who needlessly thrust themselves into it go upon the devil’s ground Peter joined the crowd that was cursing and mocking Jesus. Before he knew it, he was saying he never knew him. He thought he could handle the pressure, but he couldn’t. He didn’t. Like it or not, we become like the company we keep.
Some of you are hanging out with people you have no business with. Some of us are going places and doing things we ought not to be doing. Some of us are looking at things on your computer that are an abomination to God. Take this from one knows: you are going to get burned, just like Peter did. Just like a million others who thought they could handle it.
Conclusion:
Verse 62 is not the end of the event. Later, Jesus met Peter on the seashore. Jesus forgave his failure and restored his joy and his ministry. (John 21:15-17) Peter had a greater ministry after he fell than he did before he fell. Perhaps you have failed the Lord in some way. You need to repent. Let Jesus restore you to where you once were. Maybe you’ve been living too close to the devil’s flame. You need to ask Jesus to help you stay away from that temptation.
Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume
(p. 1761). Peabody: Hendrickson. (p. 1761). Peabody: Hendrickson.
